Contemporary Jewish-American novelists : a bio-critical sourcebook /

Saul Bellow, Phillip Roth, and Bernard Malamud are but a few of the galaxy of Jewish American novelists who have heralded a virtual renaissance of American Jewish fiction during the post-WW II era. This excellent sourcebook on fiction by Jewish American authors on Jewish themes, or involving Jewish interests and concerns, not only brings to light eminent authors but also those of secondary and even tertiary interest. For Jewish novelists such as Norman Mailer whose writings deal primarily with general concerns, rather than Jewish interests, the book highlights their specific Jewish themes. The essays, arranged alphabetically by author, are uniformly well written, contain biographical sketches, describe critical reception, and are followed by bibliographies of works by and studies about each author. Since Jewish American Women Writers, ed. by Ann R. Shapiro (CH, Mar'95), is so recent, this book presents only a select number. Additional brief bibliographic sketches of Jewish women authors are found in the appendix. A useful general index and biographical sketches of the editors and contributors conclude this fine volume. Highly recommended for all libraries, high school up. D. Kranzler; Queensborough Community College, CUNY

This attractively formatted reference work "includes alphabetically arranged entries for more than 75 Jewish-American novelists whose major works were largely written after World War II." While major canonical figures such as Norman Mailer and Saul Bellow are profiled, lesser-known novelists^-including Judith Katz, Lev Raphael, and Steve Stern^-are covered as well. One of the editors' goals is to show the diversity of Jewish-American literature. The inclusion of authors who deal with the Jewish tradition from a gay and lesbian perspective is particularly noteworthy. Although a number of women are covered, a decision was made not to duplicate most of the 50 entries in Ann Shapiro's Jewish-American Women Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical and Critical Sourcebook [RBB N 15 94]. An appendix lists women who are given full treatment in Shapiro's book. Each entry includes a biographical section, a cogent discussion of major works and themes, an overview of each novelist's critical reception, and a bibliography of both primary and secondary sources. Entries are written by subject area experts, most of whom are affiliated with universities as professors, adjunct staff, or doctoral students. Across articles, the style is remarkably consistent--easy to read, informative, and interesting. Issues from each novelist's past are tied to the concerns they present in their mature work. The artist's relationship to the overall Jewish-American experience is considered as well. Twentieth-Century American Jewish Fiction Writers (Gale, 1984) gives similar information for 51 authors, all of whom were born before 1942. Entries are similar in content and augmented with reproductions of manuscripts and black-and-white photographs of the authors. Jewish American Fiction Writers: An Annotated Bibliography [RBB Mr 1 92] treats 62 writers and begins its coverage with the late nineteenth century but does not provide much biography or evaluation. Contemporary Jewish-American Novelists covers younger writers and current issues, thus breaking new ground while extending and complementing the older works. Recommended for academic and public libraries, especially where Jewish studies is a collection-development priority.